The Point of No Return
by PhantomGirl1731
Summary: It's another story with my OFC Max. It's really hard to summarize without giving the story away...so my suggestion is to read and find out what goes on.
1. Chapter 1

**This is the next installment of my Dean/Max series...basically set as a Christmas story - since when it was written it was near Christmas and New Years...this one's a hard one to describe without giving everything away, so I'll just let you read it and be surprised...**

**A few other things: To those of you who have favorited my stories, thank you, I'm glad you enjoy my stuff :)**

**And as a disclaimer - see the one in my profile about the characters...I don't own Dean or Sam, obviously...and I don't own _All Dogs go to Heaven or Dark Angel _or anything by Jeff Dunham...which you will see the reason why later in the story.**

* * *

**"The Point of No Return"**

"Dude, that tree's crooked."

"No, it's not."

"Uh, yeah, it is!"

"No, it's _not!_"

"Is too!"

"Is not!"

_"Ahem!"_

Both boys clammed up. Max leaned casually in the doorway, "You're arguing over a Christmas tree…brings back memories to Luke's first Christmas."

Luke snickered, and Noah groaned, "Come on Max…I was five! Can you blame a five-year-old for wanting his Christmas the same as all the others?"

"Guess not," Max shrugged. "And the tree's only crooked at the top…I think that's why we talked about getting a new one this year."

Luke sighed, and gripped a few branches, turning it around. "Better?"

"Yeah," Max said, grinning.

Luke stood on his tiptoes and stretched his arm, placing the star at the top of the tree.

"You've really taken to that new growth spurt, haven't you?" Max asked, raising an eyebrow.

"Heck yeah," Luke said, nodding. "Now I'm almost as tall as you!"

"Almost," Noah smirked.

Max raised her eyebrows at him now, "When you're Sam's height, then you can talk."

"Damn," Noah muttered, lowering his head in shame.

"How 'bout Dean?" Luke asked, "Can we brag if we get taller than Dean?"

"Ah, no," Max replied.

"Damn," Both complained.

Max shook her head and rolled her eyes, "So…your tree's officially up?"

The boys looked at the tree, then looked at each other, "Yeah."

"Good," Max nodded.

Charlie burst into the room, "Dudes! It's awesome! The best sight ever!"

"What's the best sight ever?" The three asked.

"It's snowing!" Charlie announced. "Snowing! The week before Christmas, it snows!"

"And with you three, it won't last to see tomorrow," Max rolled her eyes.

The four stood silently, neither one making a move to the door.

"What? Are you waiting for 'ready, set, go'?" Max asked, "We're wastin' snow!"


	2. Chapter 2

Dean stopped the Impala when the snowball hit the windshield. A second followed it, followed by a third. "What the hell?"

"Maybe someone doesn't like Chevys," Sam suggested, fighting to keep a straight face.

Dean sighed, and got out of the car, "Hey!"

The O'Reilly brothers paused in their snowball fight. Luke's arm was held up to throw another snowball, and he turned his head to Dean, "What?"

"Which one of you is the mad doofer that threw snowballs at my car?" Dean asked, folding his arms.

"He's the Mad Doofer!" Charlie and Noah exclaimed, pointing at Luke.

Luke sighed, "Thanks guys…big help." He called to Dean, "I didn't throw snowballs at the Impala…I'm not that stupid!"

Sam rolled down his window, "Well, if you didn't, which one of them did?"

Luke smiled, then looked up, "Hey, General Deadeye!"

"What?" Max called from her fire escape.

"Did you throw the snowballs that hit the Impala?" Luke called back.

"You mean like this?"

Dean jumped slightly when the cold snowball hit the side of his head. He mock-glared up at Max, who grinned back.

"Yeah, I threw 'em," She said.

"Good shot!" Sam called up to her.

Max took a bow, then climbed down the fire escape. "Any one of you throws a snowball at me and you're gonna get it," She warned her brothers.

The sound of crunching snow was heard, and the three O'Reilly boys started whistling innocently.

Max shook her head, and turned toward the visitors, "So, you guys stayin' for Christmas?"

Both Winchesters shook their heads, and Dean said, "We got coordinates for a job…figured we'd stop by on the way, and ask if you wanted to come along."

"Dude, freedom for a few days!" Charlie mock-whispered to Noah.

"I heard that," Max said to him. "And I want my back-up key back, provided none of you can pick locks."

"Damn," Charlie and Noah sighed.

"But…" Luke spoke up, "Next week's—" He was cut off by a barrage of snowballs.

"Shouldn't take too long," Dean added, "Should be back before Christmas day rolls around."

"Hey, can we—"

"No," Max cut Charlie off. "Nobody's going along."

"Define nobody," Noah said.

Max rolled her eyes, "None of _you _are going along."

"But you are?" Luke asked.

Max rolled her eyes, "Can we go upstairs and talk about this? Anyone in objection to that?"

"We were in the middle—"

"Come on Lucas," Charlie said, and he and Noah grabbed Luke by the arms and dragged him toward the parking garage.

"It's _Luke!_" Luke's voice could be heard complaining.

Dean got back in the car, and pulled into the garage after the three were inside. Max followed behind and closed the gate.

When she walked over to the car, and said, "so tell me more about this job."

"Supposedly it's a local legend," Sam explained, "There's a house where it's said that those who enter it will be killed."

"Okay, so how does that fit in with our line of work?" Max asked, folding her arms.

"About three weeks ago," Dean said, as he grabbed their bags from the trunk, "Some kids decided to test out the theory. Groups of three or four kids, decided it would be fun to go in and see if it was true."

"And I'm assuming it was?" Max asked.

"In all cases," Sam continued, "Most of the kids got out alive. In all cases, one of them died. Nobody can explain it, almost like a sudden fever, and it kills them."

"Like a Shtriga?" Max asked, "You know, how viruses set in because the immune system goes to hell?"

"Could be, but a hell of a lot faster," Sam answered. "The reports say that the dead kids were there for a couple of days before someone reported them missing."

"Nice friends," Max shook her head. "So," She continued, as the three of them headed up the stairs, "They're fine until the scary stuff appears, then it's every man for himself."

"That's our theory," Dean said. He paused at their apartment and opened the door, then threw the bag inside. It landed on a chair, and he grinned, "Bulls-eye."

Sam tossed his bag through the doorway, but instead of hitting a chair or the couch, it went wide, and hit a lamp, knocking it off the side-table. He yanked the door closed, as his cheeks went red.

Dean and Max couldn't look at him; they were both trying to keep straight faces.

"So…who's hungry?" Sam asked, smiling sheepishly.

"Nice," Dean shook his head.

Sam rolled his eyes, "I owe you a lamp."

"Put a bow on it, call it a Christmas gift," Max said, shaking her head. "Think we'll get back by Christmas?"

"Since it's next week, probably," Dean told her. "If not, you could always leave early. How bad could this thing be?"

"If it's like a Shtriga?" Max asked.

"Good point," Dean agreed. "Well, we can go and keep our fingers crossed."

* * *

"But Max," Luke whined, as Max headed up the stairs the next morning.

"But what?" Max asked, mimicking Luke's voice. She got upstairs and saw Zip lying on the bed, her green eyes glowing. "Out!"

Zip mewed at her.

Max rolled her eyes, and picked up the cat and put her on the floor, "No lying on Max's bed, Zip."

Zip meowed again, and climbed back onto the bed, lying on one of the pillows.

Max rolled her eyes, and grabbed her duffel bag, putting it on the bed and propping it open. She turned toward her closet, then whirled around, "Ah!"

Zip went back down, inches away from climbing inside the bag.

As Max went about packing, Luke elaborated, "Come on Max. Christmas is next week! It's always been a rule, no jobs on Christmas…no deliveries, no hunting—"

"Luke, this thing is killing kids!" Max protested, tossing a few pairs of jeans into her bag. "You want people to die because of whatever this is?"

"That's not my point, Max!" Luke rolled his eyes. "Look, I understand it's bad…but it's almost Christmas!"

"And I'll be back before Christmas," Max told him. "Come on, when have I ever let you down?"

"June—"

"And don't you dare bring up that damn kindergarten graduation!" Max said, "I was sick, and I actually was there…just in the back so Aunt Caroline couldn't hear me hacking."

Luke thought for a minute, "Oh yeah…I remember that…you almost got away with it, too…until you nearly hacked up a lung on the man in front of you."

Max shrugged, "But, point being, I have never let you guys down."

"Dammit…" Luke grumbled. "But…do you have to go?"

Max sighed, and didn't answer, and closed her bag. "Luke…it's just a few days. It's not like I'm never coming back."

"How do you know that?" Luke asked, as Max shouldered the bag and headed for the stairs. Luke grabbed Zip, and followed Max, "I mean, you said it yourself, this thing's killing people—"

"Teens, kids," Max said, "There's no proof that it's going after adults."

"What if it does?" Luke asked, "What if you're the first adult it goes for?"

Max turned off all the lights, and closed the door behind them, locking it. "Luke, I'll be fine. Sam will be fine, and Dean will be fine. And I'll be home for Christmas, I can promise you that."

Luke sighed, and asked, "You gonna say goodbye to the guys?"

"Already did," Max said, "Besides…they're probably off trying to pick the lock on the back stair way."

Luke grinned at that comment.

"Stop trying to beat the slinky record!" Max said, "None of you are Ace Ventura, and those aren't steps going down from a mountain."

"You really are a buzz kill sometimes, you know that?" Luke asked.

"Aw, I'm hurt," Max smirked.

Luke sighed, as she walked down the stairs, "Just don't get yourselves killed."

"Haven't yet," Max told him.


	3. Chapter 3

"Are you sure nothing's bothering you, Max?" Sam asked from the front seat.

"Nothing's bothering me," Max said, arms folded, chewing her gum noisily. "What would give you that idea?"

"No reason," Dean smiled in irritation, and turned on the radio. Despite the loud rock music blaring, they could still hear the chewing, alternating with loud popping every few minutes.

Dean finally hit the brakes, and the Impala screeched to a stop.

Max gave a hard gulp, and started hacking. "I think I swallowed my gum…"

"There is a God," Dean said under his breath, then he turned off the radio.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Max asked, swallowing roughly.

"You've been chewing and popping for over six hours," Sam said, keeping his eyes forward. "Six…hours…of popping and chewing…" He added with a twitch.

"Huh…" Max said, then rubbed at her jaw, "And ow…"

"So…either tell Sammy what's bothering you, so he can share some insightful words of wisdom," Dean said, "Or find another way to pass the time."

Max thought for a second, "Déjà vu."

"That's your problem?" Dean asked, "Déjà vu?"

"I just feel like I had that argument before," Max said.

"And for that you were chomping on your gum for six hours?" Dean rolled his eyes. "Call your brother, beg his forgiveness, it'll all be fine in the morning."

Max tapped her fingers on her arms, "Sam, my hands are full, can you flip off your brother for me?"

Sam fought his grin, "Don't know what good either of those ideas will do."

Max shrugged, "I don't think I need to beg his forgiveness…I'm sure he understands…" She shifted, "I mean…it's not like I skipped out on Christmas Eve, right?"

"True," Sam agreed.

"And…it's not like he had a vision or something…if he'd had a vision, then I'd be a little worried…" Max rambled on. "Unless he did, and he didn't tell me…then again, I didn't ask…but if he did, he would've told me…" She frowned, "But he did bring out the big 'what if' question…which is still givin' me déjà vu…"

"We can always turn around," Dean pointed out, "You don't have to come."

"You really wanna spend another twelve hours getting to your destination?" Max asked, raising her eyebrows.

"Good point…" Dean admitted.

"Just drive, I'll call them later," Max said, moving her jaw around. "Ow…" She rubbed at her jaw.

* * *

"Hey, Luke," Charlie said.

"Lucas?" Noah asked, when that got no response.

"Lucas Andrew?" Charlie snapped.

Luke continued to sit on his barstool, drawing something in his sketchbook, his hand the only part of him moving, and hadn't made a sound in over an hour.

"Hey, Sam with braces!" Noah shouted, his voice growing louder as he continued, "Brace-face! The purple monkeys are dancing on the cars in tutus…with the hippos from _Fantasia!_"

Luke pursed his lips, and exhaled through his nose, finally looking at him, "All right, you have my attention."

"Huh?" Noah asked, catching his breath.

"And I don't look like Sam with braces," Luke rolled his eyes, going back to his drawing.

"Cut your hair then, Ron Weasley!" Noah snapped.

Luke shook his head, and continued drawing.

"What are you drawing?" Charlie asked.

"Floor plan," Luke answered. "Which is basically a bunch of blocks marked beds…and the bar and fridge."

"Must not've gotten to the second floor yet," Noah said.

"Nope," Luke shook his head. "Lines, boxes, random shapes…just got to the floor plan." He continued his sketch, and muttered, "We had a deal…no jobs, no hunts…"

"You still on about that?" Charlie asked, sitting across from him at the bar.

"Well, it's true," Luke shrugged. "She promised."

"Luke, grow up," Charlie said. "Things don't always go according to plan. And, it's not like she's skipping out on Christmas Eve or something. She's gonna be back before Christmas."

Luke sighed, and closed his sketchbook; "I've got a bad feeling about it."

Noah rolled his eyes, "Why does that not surprise me?"

"What's that supposed to mean?" Luke scowled.

"Luke, you always say you've got a bad feeling," Charlie said. "Or, you get a nightmare, and you're up for the rest of the night…and we're up with you, 'cause you can't get back to sleep."

"Anytime Max goes out on hunts, whether it was by herself, or with the Winchesters," Noah added. "And they always come back okay."

Luke remained silent, but grabbed his sketchbook, and walked upstairs, sitting down on the couch. Their apartment was designed with the same floor plan as Max's, except set up differently. Their bedroom was across the room from the kitchen, and their living room was upstairs._ "Something different," _Charlie had said.

Luke opened the sketchpad again, and drew a box. Drew lines inside the box, making multiple triangles coming from the center. Then drew triangles jutting out of the box, joining them together with crisscrossing lines.

He heard his brothers come up the stairs, but didn't make eye contact with them.

"Luke—" this time, Noah started it.

"Buzz off," Luke snapped, not even looking at them.


	4. Chapter 4

"So…" Max said, sitting in front of the laptop. "There were no violent deaths on or around the property." She scrolled along the page, "No murderers, no ex-soldiers…"

"So we can rule out death—" Dean began.

"I didn't say that," Max cut him off. "There was a family that lived in the house…had a daughter who died…very peaceful, she was just lying under the sheets."

"Does it give her name?" Sam asked.

"Not that I can find," Max sighed. "So…besides her death, there's really nothing there to cause a haunting."

"So maybe the girl's haunting the place," Dean said. "But…if she died like that, she wouldn't be a restless spirit."

"Unless the article isn't telling us everything," Sam pointed out, as a waitress, who couldn't have been older than sixteen years, walked over.

"Can I get you more coffee?" She asked, holding up a coffeepot. She poured coffee into Dean's mug, and glanced at the papers spread over the table. "You guys are interested in the haunted house?"

"What do you know about it?" Sam asked.

"Just that it's the creepiest place in this town," the waitress, whose nametag said 'Jacey', answered, "I haven't been here long…but I do know that. Creepy, and the fact that kids die when they go inside is making it even more exciting to the adolescent population."

"So then…I don't suppose that showing us around the place would be an option," Sam frowned.

"Right," Jacey said, "Not goin' in there." She turned on her heel, and walked away.

* * *

"I can't believe I'm going in there," Jacey muttered, as she walked with her friends. She noticed the black car off in the distance, and thought it looked familiar.

"Come on, Jacey," Ben, the leader, said, "Where's your sense of adventure?"

"Telling me don't go into the run-down house," Jacey told him.

"Just go in, Jacey," Her friend Daphne said, rolling her eyes.

The fourth, named Carl, added, "Yeah, like there's really something in this house?"

"God I hope not…" Jacey whimpered, following her friends in the house.

* * *

"Like we really needed that girl anyway," Dean rolled his eyes, scanning the room for cold spots.

"Thought she might know something about this house," Sam admitted, hearing voices. "Wait a second…" He and Dean walked over to the railing, which looked out over the main foyer.

Four kids stood in the darkness, carrying flashlights, one of them the waitress Jacey.

"They say the Kane family lived here," the leader said, "Their girl died…they say she's still here."

"And what's the girl's name?" The other girl asked.

"Dunno, nobody's ever known that," The leader replied. "Apparently, the girl traps you, her touch can burn someone from the inside out."

Dean raised an eyebrow, and glanced at Sam, who also shook his head at the stupidity of the story.

"Yeah, if it does that, then why are the bodies still around dunce-head?" The second boy asked.

"I heard she boiled her victims," The girl chimed in.

"I heard you are all a bunch of idiots," Max's voice came out of the shadows.

All four jumped and screamed then trained their flashlight beams on Max.

"Who the hell are you?" the leader asked.

Max squinted in the light, "Name's Max Kane…this house has been in my family for over a century."

"So you know the story?" The second girl asked.

"Yeah, she died here," Max told them. "There's no ghosts here."

"Then how did those people die?" The leader asked in disbelief.

Sam thought he heard a voice whispering behind him. He glanced over his shoulder, but there wasn't anyone there.

"That's why I'm here," Max said. "I came to figure out what's going on in this house, and to keep kids like you out of here."

"Sam, shut up," Dean muttered.

"That's not me," Sam hissed, as the whispering grew louder.

"Who's here?" The leader asked fearfully.

In the flashlight beams, Max's cheeks started turning red, "Look…I think its time you guys…" Her breathing was labored, and she reached into her pocket, pulling out the EMF reader. All the little lights lit up, and it was whining. "Run, now!"

The kids didn't need telling twice. Dean and Sam were already headed for the stairs, as the whispering turned to shouting, and a fierce wind started to blow. The door was yanked open, and three of the kids were out the door.

"Max!" Jacey's voice screamed, as the wind died down.

When Dean and Sam reached the bottom of the stairs, they saw Jacey kneeling next to Max, who was sprawled out on the floor, unconscious.


	5. Chapter 5

Max clenched her fist, surprised that the EMF reader was gone. She felt her pockets; her cell phone was gone, as was her wallet, pocketknife, and her .45 pistol, which left an odd gap in her belt where it normally hung. "Can't take anything with you…funny."

She standing alone, facing the door. Or lack there of…it was a blank wall, with the windows framing where the door should have been.

"Hello Max," A friendly voice said behind her.

* * *

"Max!" Dean cried out, and ran toward her.

"I don't know what happened!" Jacey said, gently turning Max over onto her back. "She just turned and collapsed."

"Max?" Dean asked gently, and touched her face, "Come on, Max…time to wake up, baby."

"Dean…" Sam frowned, the whispers were gone, nothing moved. "I think that—"

"She's burning up," Dean said, probably not listening to Sam at all. He got to his feet, gathering Max in his arms, then turned to Jacey, "Where's the nearest hospital?"

"I don't know…" Jacey frowned.

"If we don't find one, we'll stop and call an ambulance," Sam said, opening the door. "That way…well, she'll get there."

They got out to the car, Sam opened the back door to the Impala, and Dean got in the back, still hanging onto Max. Jacey road shotgun and Sam raced to find the nearest ER.

* * *

"Who the hell are you?" Max asked.

"My name's Lauren," The girl smiled, continuing to dust her knickknacks.

"And we've already established mine's Max."

"Yes, we have," Lauren nodded.

"So what do you want?" Max folded her arms; "I'm here for a reason, aren't I?"

"There are no questions here," Lauren shrugged. "Everything ends here."

"Meaning?"

"People don't leave," Lauren explained. "Well…they do…but they don't go back to where they were. They go on…"

"Go on to what?"

"Peace, harmony…heaven," Lauren said dreamily.

"Well, I'm glad I'm still in the running for that," Max admitted. "Well…sorry, Lauren, but I think I'll just go back to my life."

"Why would you want to go back there?" Lauren asked.

Max smirked, then sang, "_'I need, Brazil. The throb, the thrill. I've never been there, but someday I will…adventure and danger, love from a stranger, let me be surprised.'_"

Lauren looked confused, "Uh…nice voice?"

"I take it you've never seen_ All Dogs go to Heaven_."

"No," Lauren answered.

"Pity," Max said.

"But seriously, that place…it's awful."

"_'But Charlie, please remember,'_" Max continued singing, "_'Down there's a world of used cars, and singles bars. Broken dreams, and not a restart.'_"

"More with the dogs?" Lauren asked.

"What can I say?" Max shrugged. "Most of my material comes from movies and TV shows."

"Come on, Max," Lauren said. "You don't belong there anyway."

"How?" Max asked.

"Well, first of all, you're not an O'Reilly," Lauren rolled her eyes. "You were born Rosemary-Maxine Kelly."

* * *

"Her temperature seems to be going down…" Dean noted, though Max was still too warm to even consider nixing the hospital visit.

"Maybe she can fight it off," Sam pointed out.

"Doubtful," Jacey said.

"Max's stronger than she looks," Dean snapped.

"I'm just being logical," Jacey frowned, holding her arms up in defense. "I mean, the others were found dead…it just stands to reason that your girlfriend's gonna end up the same way."

Dean cast one more glare at her, then looked away, focusing on Max.

Jacey sighed, "However, the main difference is because we're on our way now, and she wasn't left to simmer and burn."

"She does have a point," Sam agreed, still irritated by Jacey's pessimistic logic. "On both counts."

Dean didn't even acknowledge that he'd heard either of them. He just held Max to his chest, and Sam heard him whisper, "I love you Max, don't die on me."

* * *

"That's the best you've got?" Max asked, shaking her head in disbelief. "So what? Rosemary raised me like her own. She didn't have to take me in; she could've shipped me off to some orphanage. Never once made me feel like I didn't belong."

The girl's image flickered for a second.

Max folded her arms, "So what? You bore them to death? Keep them here while their bodies overheat?"

"I choose the weakest ones," Lauren said, her head held high, trying to sound impressive.

"Okay…and no offense to the Winchesters," Max said, "But why not choose one of them? I mean, you said it yourself, this is all a play on weakness. Chinks in the armor…psychological chinks. I'm bettin' they're both over-flowing with ideas."

"You're right, they are," Lauren agreed. "But you…your mind was the easiest to infiltrate. Something you haven't been telling them…along with your nightmares."

Max swallowed roughly, but shrugged it off, "What haven't I been telling them?"

"Something you don't feel is too important," Lauren shrugged. "Your abilities…your telepathy. When your shields are down, your mind's like a sponge. Any person within a few feet of you, you can hear their thoughts."

"And when the room is crowded, it gets worse," Max rolled her eyes, "Dean already knows that."

"Yes, but when you're stressed, those shields are weaker," Lauren shook her head sadly. "The more stress that you get, the weaker the shields get. And someday Max, those shields are going to collapse, and you're not going to be able to build them up again."

"I can take care of myself," Max growled.

"Yet here you are, in my parlor," Lauren said simply. "One day, someone is going to push you too far, and you're not going to be able to control it. You'll either die…or in your line of work, you'll let some demon come in and make itself at home."

"Not gonna happen," Max said defiantly.

"And I repeat, here you stand," Lauren pointed out.

_Point Annabelle…_Max thought, once again swallowing roughly. _Better start winding that watch, Charlie…_

* * *

"Sir, you can't go back there!" The nurse said.

Dean screeched to a stop, as the doctors wheeled Max through the ER doors on a gurney. He turned to face the nurse, "Excuse me?"

"You can't go back there!" The nurse repeated.

"Think again!" Dean snapped, and pushed one door open.

Sam caught hold of his shoulder, "Dean, let them work." At his brother's glare, he added, quietly, "Getting thrown out by security is _not _going to bring her back."

"She's still alive, Sammy," Dean hissed.

Sam cringed internally, realizing how his comment sounded, "I meant…it won't do any good to get thrown out."

Dean gritted his teeth, then closed the door. "I don't like this."

"Neither do I," Sam sighed, "But rules are rules."

Jacey stood, watching them, and glancing at the clock. She seemed to be debating something, and then her gaze went from the Winchesters, to the doors, then back to the clock.

* * *

Lauren must've sensed that she'd struck a nerve, and continued. "Ever notice how you're always the damsel in distress?"

"Come again?" Max asked.

"Well…that's how you met the Winchesters in the first place, right?" Lauren asked. "I mean, you had troubles with the Thrall…if it hadn't been for the Winchesters, you'd have been crowned the queen."

"I would've waited Monica out," Max said. "They were just extra allies."

"And when Gertrude almost drowned you…what was that?"

"She could've just as easily drowned Dean instead," Max pointed out. "She tried to as a matter of fact…and I got her ring, that destroyed her…"

"_Sam _destroyed her, while Dean was off to the side, giving you CPR."

"I got the murder weapon to destroy Joe Ed," Max pointed out.

"You almost got Dean killed," Lauren shot back. "Christine's scarecrow cut him up good…and wasn't it you that made him be the decoy?"

"He wasn't…I didn't…" Max stammered.

"At least Cassie never did that," Lauren smirked.

Max's eyes narrowed, "Shut up."

Lauren grinned, and Max's arms dropped to her sides, fists clenched, which made Lauren's grin get bigger. "You think that's over and forgotten? She was the one he was in love with…before he met you."

"She threw him out," Max said. "She couldn't handle it. She had her chance, and she blew it."

"Is that what makes it easier to deal with?" Lauren asked innocently. "Because…Dean almost slept with her, _while _he was with you."

"He caught himself…he didn't do it…" Max said, "He doesn't love her."

"Are you sure about that?"

Max glared at her, then turned away, wrapping her arms around herself. It was colder in here now…unless the ghost had gotten to her, and was making her feel cold…

"I mean, if he truly loved you, he wouldn't have kissed her at all…would've pushed her away," Lauren said.

"He did," Max said, sounding like she was trying to convince herself of that fact, rather than the ghost.

"Yeah, but you know it wasn't right away," Lauren reminded her. "As you put it, Sam told him to talk to Cassie,_ 'not suck her face off and almost bang her.'_"

Max whirled around, tears filling her eyes, "Okay. I get it. I'm the weaker one. I'm the one that falls in love with unfaithful bums—"

"Which is how you referred to Dean," Lauren pointed out.

"This conversation is over," Max snapped. "You can't throw anything at me that I haven't dealt with in reality—"

"Your nightmares."

That cut Max off, and she swallowed roughly again. _The watch just fell into the darkness, and Charlie can't go get it…_

* * *

Dean and Sam paced the waiting area, meeting in the middle, then going in separate directions. Neither noticed Jacey's glances at the clock. They'd completely forgotten she was there, until…

"I feel faint!"

That stopped both the Winchesters, and all hospital staff in the room.

"The room's spinning…oh god…the footprints on the ceiling…" Jacey wailed. "I can't see straight…"

The nurses flocked to her side, firing off questions. Jacey answered them blearily, and out of the nurse's sight, she pointed at the doors.

Dean noticed first, and raced through the doors, while Jacey served as a distraction. Sam followed, and the doors closed silently behind them.

They walked past a lady, sitting on a gurney, with an odd bite on her arm; "Did you hear about the free ice cream?"

"No," Dean said bluntly, and kept on walking.

Farther along, they heard a man barking…literally sounding like he was trying to act like a dog.

"I thought the freak shows only happened on Friday nights," Sam murmured.

"Guess not," Dean replied, as they turned a corner.

They reached a hallway, lined with doorways closed off by curtains.

"Door number one or ten?" Sam asked.

An orderly ran by, rushing ice to a cubicle.

"I'd say curtain four," Dean said, as the orderly stopped.

Max was covered in bags of melting ice, and more bags replaced them. Her hair looked stuck to her head, and her cheeks were flushed because of the fever. One of her arms draped uselessly to the side, hanging off the table she was lying on. She was covered in patches, which were attached to monitors beeping like crazy, all saying that her vitals were going haywire, and nowhere near normal. "Nothing's workin' on this girl," The doctor said to his colleagues.

* * *

"What about my nightmares?" Max asked, frowning.

"Well…let's face it, you've been seeing Dean and Sam die nightly," Lauren pointed out. "Hell, you used to find sanctuary from them in Dean's embrace, but even that's gone."

Max wrapped her arms tighter around herself.

"Everyone you love, you've seen die," Lauren said. "And the one connection between all the dreams? You."

"Me?"

"You are the reason they all died," Lauren told her.

"Yeah, right," Max snapped. "What the hell do you know about it?"

"I know that you feel that way," Lauren ticked them off on her fingers. "I know that you've gotten so worried that you've checked in your brothers' apartment, just to make sure it was all a dream. You have to force yourself not to call Dean in the middle of the night when he's away on a hunt, for fear he or Sam might be dead, or both."

Max rolled her eyes, and felt something pull at her.

"And your one main concern?" Lauren added. "The fact that it might be true. That they'll come true, and you'll be the one that killed them…you're poison Max."

This brought a smirk to Max's lips, "Thanks for clearing that up Renfro. You gonna send in X5-494 to be my breeding partner next?"

Lauren sat there, eyebrows slightly raised in confusion.

"Come on, give me something here," Max rolled her eyes.

"More of your movie and television references," Lauren rolled her eyes. "Max…face it. They'd be better off without you. They'll all survive, without you. And you don't have to be the damsel in distress anymore. And…no crumbling shields to worry about."

When she put it that way, it did seem like something to consider. The telepathy came with almost constant headaches, trying to block out the remaining Thrall members, and the thoughts of those around her. And…it did seem like she was more of a damsel in distress than she was help…and she'd never have to deal with those nightmares again…

The pull got stronger, she could almost feel her boots slipping on the floor…

_The watch is full of water, and it just stopped ticking…_

* * *

The beeping grew worse, as did the looks on the doctor's faces. "We're losing her," One of them said.

"No!" Dean shouted.

This alerted the doctors to the presence of the Winchesters.

"You can't be back here—"

"Shut up!" Sam snapped at the nurse.

"Are you family?" One asked.

"Yes!" Both brothers snapped.

"Look, the doctors are doing everything they can," The nurse told them, "But you have to go outside and let them do their jobs—"

Her voice was drowned out by a long mechanical wail as the monitors attached to Max flat-lined.

Nobody spoke for a few seconds, until Dean once again screamed, "NO!"


	6. Chapter 6

The word echoed in Max's mind, and she took a step back, "No."

Lauren blinked in shock, "What do you mean, no?"

"What the hell am I thinking?" Max wondered aloud. "I'm not done yet! I don't care about the visions, telepathy…even the freakin' tongue-happy frizz-head that nearly sucked the face off my boyfriend…"

"Max, think about this," Lauren said. "You can't be seriously wanting to go back to that—"

"My brothers need me," Max said. "I can see why you didn't mention them."

"Why?"

"Because," Max answered, "They were the one thing that could make me stay. Remind me of all that was good."

"What good?" Lauren asked.

"In my life," Max said. "Reminding me of the fact that there's a lot I need to tell them. And you know what?" She shook her head, "I can't believe the Cassie-card actually worked! I gotta be a freakin' idiot to have let _that _get under my skin!"

"He broke your trust, Max!" Lauren reminded her. "Just like Dylan—"

"No," Max shook her head again, "No. Dylan banged my best friend, and turned me over to the Thrall. Dean pretty much just kissed his ex." She used her hands like a scale, "Thrall…ex…I'm gonna have to say that Dylan was worse. Besides, Dean proved he was trustworthy again…Dylan did not."

"Then why did you end it with Dean?" Lauren shot back.

"Was that not covered with the whole story?" Max asked. "All right, in all honesty. I was furious he did that…even I can't believe I didn't just say hit the road, Jack, and don't come back…" Max sighed, "But…I loved Dean…still do…and I couldn't tell him to get lost…not permanently anyway…" She shrugged, "And…unlike Dylan, Dean knew he'd screwed up royally…and tried his hardest to make it right again…Dylan just married Clarissa, and that was that."

"You know people would tell you that you're stupid for taking him back," Lauren pointed out.

"Maybe," Max agreed. "But I'd tell them it's my life, not theirs."

Lauren squirmed, and flickered again.

"So, I'm thinking that you've lost," Max said. "You have failed to convince me to leave. A pity really, because I bet I'm the first to use my movie and TV references…probably spiced up the regular tear-filled conversations."

Lauren frowned, "Max…think about this! Who would want to go back to that? You've got so much pain…and how can you trust them?"

Max frowned, "I just do."

The pull was gone, and a doorway appeared, glowing white, hopefully an exit.

"Lauren, I hate to break it to you…but I repeat, you've lost."

"Max, I'm warning you now," Lauren sounded desperate. "Your shields are weakening. I'm deadly serious about that. If you go back now, you _will _lose control. And when that happens, you'll be leaving yourself open to anything…and you won't like the outcome."

Max didn't respond, just dove into the light.


	7. Chapter 7

Dean stood there, not sure what else to do. He stared at Max, tears filling his eyes, then spilling out when he blinked. It beat staring at the monitors, trying to will them to continue beeping. Max couldn't be dead…she couldn't. "Max…" He whispered.

He thought he felt Sam's hand grip his shoulder; it wasn't registering in his mind what was happening, other than…

"I'm calling it," The doctor said, his gaze traveling toward the brothers for a moment. "Time of death…"

Max gave a loud gasp, eyes wide and terrified, as the monitors beeped in alarm. She tried to get off the table, but the doctor pushed her back down, saying, "You have to stay down. We're trying to help you."

The beeping calmed down, as did Max. She took in her surroundings, and visibly relaxed. Her gaze finally locked on Dean, and she gave a tired smile. The arm dangling off the side of the table reached for him, and he walked over and gripped her hand tightly.

"Your wife's gonna be staying with us for a few days," The doctor said. "Just until we're sure her fever's not gonna flare up again. Gotta be one nasty case of the flu she's got…"

Sam was thinking coherently, but neglected to correct the doctor on Dean and Max's marital status. The way they bickered sometimes made them seem like an old married couple. "Flu?"

"That's what caused the fever, wasn't it?" The doctor asked.

"Yeah…right…" Sam nodded; knowing that saying it was a ghost that did it would probably get him hauled off to the psychiatric ward.

"Her temperature's not completely back to normal, but you should be able to take her home, like I said, in a day or two," The doctor continued.

* * *

Luke tossed and turned for over an hour. He just couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong. At three a.m., he broke down and grabbed his cell phone from the bedside table, and dialed her number.

It rang three times, before Dean finally answered, in a hushed voice, "Yeah?"

"Dean?" Luke asked quietly, so as not to wake his brothers. "Where's Max?"

"Max is…ah…sleeping," Dean said hesitantly.

"Oh…" Luke sighed. "She's…okay, right? Nothing bad's happening over there, right?"

Dean was quiet for a minute, "Max is kinda…well…she's in—" He ended with a grunt of pain, and Luke could hear Max saying, "Give me the phone."

Luke smiled, if Max was acting like that, she was fine.

"What's up Luke?" Max asked.

Luke frowned, "Max, what's wrong?"

"I'm not feelin' too great," Max admitted. "I think I'm getting the flu…"

"Maybe you should come home," Luke suggested.

"Naw, I'm all right," Max said, "just rest, fluids, that kind of thing…what'd you need, bud?"

"Just checkin' to see if you were okay," Luke said reluctantly. "I had a bad feeling."

"I'm fine, Luke," Max assured him, "Honestly, I'll be fine."

Luke nodded, "I'll let you go then…"

"And go to sleep, it's gotta be after three in the morning there," Max told him.

"That was the plan," Luke told her, "See yah when you get back, Max."

"Bye," Max said, closing the phone. She put it on the bedside table, and pulled the blanket back up to her chin. "Damn ice bags…"

"They had to get the fever down," Sam pointed out.

"Worked well, didn't it?" Max said sarcastically. She looked at Dean, who still hadn't sat back down, "You can sit down, you know."

"I could," Dean agreed, "But I don't wanna get kicked in the ass again."

"Well, if you kept your mouth shut, I wouldn't have kicked you," Max said, folding her arms underneath the blanket.

"So…what happened?" Sam asked, as Dean sat back down on the bed.

Max gave a shudder, and huddled under the blanket. "She preys on weaknesses. She wants her victims to feel like they've got nothing to live for, or that the world would be better off without them."

"Which was it for you?" Dean asked quietly.

"Neither," Max shrugged it off, "She didn't crack me. She just kept me there so long that the fever got too bad…trust me, that ghost had nothing on me."

"If you say so."

"What? Don't believe me?"

"Forget it," Dean said, shaking his head as he looked away.

"No," Max said, sitting up straighter. She grabbed his chin and forced him to look at her, "Do you believe me? Yes or no?"

"And that's my cue to leave," Sam said, shooting to his feet.

"Freeze," Both Dean and Max said at the same time, neither breaking eye contact.

Sam screeched to a halt, and remained silent.

"Do you?" Max asked, folding her arms.

"No," Dean snapped. "I don't."

"Huh…" Max said, "Well…the fact that I'm sitting right here should be proof enough."

"The fact that they were about to pronounce you dead tells me otherwise," Dean shot back.

Max glared at him, and changed the subject; "She has to be in control. When the tables are turned…I don't think she can keep the hold. She flickered a few times when I talked to her."

"Flickered?" Sam asked.

"Yeah…but, it was just her. The room itself didn't do anything," Max frowned. "I think she was actually in my head…she came to me, not the other way around."

"Did you get her name?" Dean asked.

"Lauren," She said, "She told me her name was Lauren."

"So, god willing, when we research the family name, we'll track down Lauren and find bones to burn," Dean rolled his eyes.

"Visiting hours are over, gentlemen," The nurse said, poking her head in. "Time for the patient to rest now."

Max rolled her eyes, and scowled after she left, "My name's Max, Renfro." She shifted on the bed, "Looks like you two get the room to yourselves tonight."

"I take it that means we've been thrown out?" Dean asked.

"That would be correct," Max said, shifting so she was lying flatter on the bed, "See yah in the morning."

"Right," Dean nodded, and got to his feet. He and Sam walked out of the room, closing the door behind them.

Max sighed, she wasn't tired, and couldn't get comfortable on the bed either. She didn't have her laptop, so no researching was available. Besides, the nurse would probably come in and confiscate the laptop, because if she was surfing the net, she wasn't 'resting'.

And what did Lauren mean when she said her mind was easiest to infiltrate? With those mental shields, she shouldn't have been able to crack the shell…

Then again…Lauren had been right when she said that the walls were weaker the more she was stressed out…that was how she'd heard those kids downstairs. She'd heard their thoughts the moment they'd walked in the door.

And that warning…could Lauren look into her mind and see something there? And not just hers, but the others as well…?

_Something I'll research when I'm discharged, _Max thought, turning the TV on, with the volume on low, and started channel surfing.


	8. Chapter 8

"What was Max's problem?" Dean asked, over an hour later.

"What?" Sam asked, blinking as his eyes adjusted to not focusing completely on the laptop screen.

"She asked me a question, I answered," Dean said, rolling his eyes.

"Yeah, you answered a question by basically saying you didn't trust her," Sam said. "Really smart idea, Dean."

"I didn't say I didn't trust her," Dean snapped, "I said I didn't…never mind…"

"And reality rears its ugly head," Sam rolled his eyes, before going back to the research.

"Sam, she _died…_for a few seconds, Max was _dead_."

"I know, Dean," Sam told him, annoyance growing, "I was there."

"And she gets mad when—"

"Dean, remember when you were electrocuted?" Sam snapped.

"Yeah, Sam, like I'm really gonna forget that," Dean shot back.

"You were pretty much dead, too," Sam continued. "When I found you, at least. And did you see me askin' you why you almost died, what you saw, that kind of thing?"

"Sam, that's a completely different scenario," Dean said.

Sam frowned, "Okay…bad example. But think about it, if I had asked you anything like that, would you have answered?"

"Once again, Sam," Dean said testily, "Not the same situation."

"Okay then," Sam said, gritting his teeth. "Let's try this again. When we first met Max, remember how she acted?"

"Yeah, she thought she could handle the Thrall by herself," Dean answered, "Thought she could do it on her own."

"And she didn't want to admit that she needed our help," Sam added, "She didn't want to admit weakness."

"So she got mad at me because I wouldn't go along with her lie of how the spirit didn't affect her?" Dean snapped, "'Cause that's just plain stupid!"

"If a spirit almost killed you by bringing up all your weaknesses," Sam asked, "Would you want to admit that?"

Dean remained silent, then turned off his lamp, "Good night Sam."

* * *

"Ah…achoo!"

"Bless you," Came the automatic responses.

"Well, Miss O'Reilly," the nurse said, coming into the room, "It seems you have the flu."

"I can see why they gave_ you _the title of head nurse," Max said, giving a sarcastic smile. "Now when can I get out of here?"

"I think it would be best—"

"If the next words out of your mouth are gonna be that she should stay for a few days," Dean cut the doctor off, "You might want to take a few steps away from the bed."

"He's right," Max added. "Give me papers, I'll sign 'em…but I'm goin' home."

The nurse shook her head, and left the room.

"Did you find out where she was buried?" Max asked.

"Yeah, and there are bones to burn," Sam nodded.

"Good," Max said, "There's some more research I wanna do before we go dig her up."

"We?"

"Yeah," Max nodded, "I wanna toast the bitch who tried to kill me…and Dean you say one word, I'll leave your teeth in one of your father's post office boxes."

Dean's mouth shut with an audible clack.

"Max…maybe you shouldn't go out after this thing," Sam said carefully. "I mean, it got you once…"

"Don't you start," Max snapped. "Get me some Day-Quill, and I'll be good as new." She shoved the covers back, "Toss me that bag over there."

"What bag?" Dean asked, looking around.

Sam cleared his throat, and grabbed the plastic bag sitting on the shelf behind him. He tossed it to Max, who said, "Thank you," And disappeared into the bathroom.

"The bag that they put her stuff in," Sam informed him.

"Shut up," Dean scowled.

Max came out of the bathroom, fully dressed, when the nurse returned, followed by the doctor.

"Miss, for your own health—"

"I'm not staying in this hospital any longer," Max said, "I'm good, I'm tellin' you."

"I want you to stay so we can make sure that fever is gone," The doctor said firmly.

"It's gone," Max told him.

"Are you sure?"

"Yes," Max replied. "Now, once again, give me forms, I'll sign them. But I'm getting the hell outta here."

* * *

"I thought you were gonna knock him into next week for a moment," Dean said, as they sat in the Impala, waiting for Sam to finish in the drug store.

"Really wanted to," Max replied, gazing out the window. "But I figured if I did, people from the psycho ward would strap me down…rather not have that if that's all the same to you."

"Right," Dean nodded.

The hospital had provided Max with a box of Kleenex…meaning she stole it from her room before she left. She grabbed it and blew her nose, grimacing, and her voice sounded nasally when she said, "Helpful."

Dean was quiet for a few minutes, "I don't think you should come."

Max frowned, and looked at him, "What?"

"When we go burn the bones," Dean said hesitantly. "I don't think you should come."

"Why? Afraid she'll get control over me again?" Max asked, rolling her eyes.

Dean squirmed in his seat; "It's not that I think she can do that…"

"You wouldn't have brought it up if you didn't," Max pointed out.

"I don't want her to succeed," Dean said, which made Max turn to face him.

"Didn't she already do that?"

"Don't…" Dean sighed. "I backed into that one…"

"Look, Dean," Max said, "All right. So she had me going there for a little while…emphasis on_ little _while. But I came back…I took everything she threw at me, and threw it all right back. Then I saw an opening…and I dove into it." She chuckled, "Which, in retrospect, might not have been the best idea, since really I had no idea where the opening led to…I could've been diving into a lake filled with giant squids…I didn't know…"

Dean chuckled at that comment.

"I'm not done livin' yet," Max smiled, shifting in the seat, "You guys aren't getting rid of me that easily."

"I think the O'Reilly's should be glad they only had boys," Dean said.

"Why?"

"Two of you in the world?" Dean asked, then gave a mock-shudder, "Scary thought."

"Same could be said of you," Max shot back.

"Hey, the broke the mold when they made me," Dean smirked.

"Whatever," Max rolled her eyes. "Besides…I don't want Luke to be right."

"Right about what?" Dean asked, frowning.

"Before I left, he said he had a bad feeling," Max shrugged. "That…well, I was the first adult she went after…"

"You're not gonna tell them, are you?"

"No," Max said, her gaze returning to the parking lot. "I don't want them to know about the many near-death experiences I've had…okay, few…but they already went through one, don't need to know more." She sat up, "Sam's back."

As Sam opened the door, he said, "A box of Day-Quill, NyQuil, and a bottle of water."

Dean smirked, "Took you long enough."

"Long lines and slow cashiers," Sam rolled his eyes, tossing Max the plastic bag he carried.

"No escape from that," Max said, reaching into the bag and grabbing the box of Day-Quill. She punctured one pouch, and popped two orange pills in her mouth. "That…and the flu," She added, opening the bottle of water to swallow the pills.


	9. Chapter 9

_"Mexican condiment!" _Peanut, a puppet used by the comedian, Jeff Dunham, shouted.

_"Condiment?" _Dunham's normal voice asked.

_"I do not use them,"_ A third voice, this one to José, the Jalapeño on a_ steek_ entered the conversation.

_"You don't?"_ Peanut asked.

_"And neither did your mother," _was José's response.

Noah rolled his eyes as he walked up the stairs. Whenever Luke was in a bad mood, he'd always go to comedy to make himself feel better.

"You're so predictable, Luke," he told his younger brother.

Luke shrugged, "Hey, you've gotta admit, Jeff Dunham's awesome."

"He's a ventriloquist," Noah said, "None of those guys are real."

"Thanks for ruinin' it for me," Luke rolled his eyes. Then he fought a grin; keeping focused on the screen.

"What?" Noah asked.

"_'De cockroaches…one big one…on a steek,'_" Luke mock-whispered.

Noah chuckled, and rolled his eyes, "You have seen this one too-many times."

"Yet it's still funny," Luke said, grinning.

"Come on, guys," Charlie said, coming up the stairs, "You've seen this before…"

And yet he too sat down and watched the show as well, as the two puppets began talking in Spanish.

_"I'm talkin' to José in his native tongue," _Peanut said.

_"Well, don't do that," _Dunham told him.

_"Why not?"_

_"It makes me feel left out…"_

_"Huh?"_

_"Well…I don't speak Spanish…"_

The puppets turned, then looked back at him.

José turned back around, singing the Twilight Zone theme music.

_"Picture if you will…" _Peanut added.

"Max missed her favorite part," Charlie said, shaking his head.

"She's seen it…it's her DVD after all," Luke shook his head.

Charlie glanced at him; "You called her, didn't you?"

Luke frowned, "I couldn't get to sleep…"

Both his brothers groaned, "Luke, Max is a big girl…she can take care of herself."

"I know," Luke admitted. "I just…I had a bad feeling."

"Jeez…Luke, do we need to take you to a shrink or something?" Noah rolled his eyes. "You've gotta realize, these feelings—"

"Look," Luke snapped. "I understand that you guys don't understand what I'm feeling here…I mean…these feelings…" He sighed, "I don't know…I can't explain it…"

"What? Like a psychic feeling?" Charlie asked.

"I better put this back in Max's apartment…before she realizes it's missing," Luke said, ejecting the DVD and putting it back in its case.

As Luke disappeared down the stairs, Noah waited for the door to close before he spoke. Then he turned to Charlie and said, "You know what? I think I know how Dean feels…"

"You mean with Sam?" Charlie asked.

"Yeah…" Noah nodded, his gaze going toward the door.


	10. Chapter 10

"We did our diggin', Max," Dean frowned. He watched as Max typed into her laptop, and then looked over her shoulder, "Criminal records? What do you need that for?"

"The first victim," Max frowned, "He was a regular juvenile delinquent. On the road to going to juvey."

"Okay…what does that…?"

"The next one," Max said, "Was seeing a psychiatrist. Real control freak, according to his girlfriend, knocked her around a few times."

"So these guys had issues—"

"The final victim before me," Max cut him off, "Guess what her problem was."

"Suicidal?" Sam offered.

"Close," Max said. "She was one of those kids who also had a psychiatrist, the medication that doesn't really help…that kind of thing."

"Meaning?" Dean asked.

"All of her victims?" Max asked, "She felt they were close to the edge. Snapping in some form…getting put in the juvenile detention center, the other might have killed his girlfriend, and the girl could've killed herself…they were time bombs, in her eyes."

"What, like she was a guardian angel in disguise?" Dean scoffed.

"None of them deserved to die, Dean," Max frowned. "That being cleared up, for my own peace of mind…let's go find her bones and torch 'em."

"Max, you're not going," Dean told her.

"Think again," Max snapped. "There's no reason…" She was cut off when she sneezed into her hand, then grimaced, running to the bathroom to wash her hands.

"I think the reason found you," Sam told her.

Max flashed him the finger, before rinsing the soap off her hands. "Look, I've got a major score to settle with that bitch…"

"You're gonna follow us anyway, right?" Dean asked tiredly.

"Yeah," Max nodded, grabbing her jacket.

Both Winchesters exchanged looks, knowing it would be a losing battle to argue.

* * *

"I still don't understand what made her a spirit," Dean panted, as he dug deeper in the hole.

Max leaned against her shovel, "Sam…help me up…"

Sam helped her out of the grave, and took the shovel, helping Dean dig the rest of the way.

Max flopped over onto her side, resting her head on her left arm; "Damn Day-Quill wore off…"

"We told you to stay behind," Sam pointed out.

"I'm still burnin' her," Max told him.

"We'll be sure to wake you when the hole's been dug," Dean informed her.

Max flipped him off, before she closed her eyes.

_She was back in the parlor, standing in front of Lauren. _

_"Max…you have to listen to me," Lauren said, still trying to convince her, "If you stay…"_

_"Lauren, if I didn't listen to you before, what makes you think I'm gonna listen now?" Max asked her, rolling her eyes. _

_"Max…you're slipping…if you don't go now, it'll be too late."_

_Max felt the pull again, but against her own will…it was going to take her whether or not she was willing to go. "No! I'm not going! You can't make me!"_

_"Max, it's for your own good—"_

_"Leave me alone!"_

_"Max—"_

Max's eyes shot open. Dean was shaking her arm, trying to wake her up.

"_Max, come on, wake up!"_

"_I knew she shouldn't have come…"_

Over Dean's shoulder, Max saw Lauren gazing down at her. "I told you it would come to this, Max."

Max closed her eyes again, grimacing. She couldn't block them out, "Guys…quiet!"

"Didn't say anything," Sam frowned. He stood on the other side of the grave, frowning at her actions.

"Think in silence…please…" Max whimpered. Her eyes were closed from the pain, and blood dribbled down her face from her nose.

Dean raised his eyebrows at Sam, and tried to do as she asked.

Max slowly sat up, and glared at Lauren, "Leave…me…alone."

"Max…there's no one there…" Sam frowned.

"They can't see me, Max," Lauren told her. "Only you can."

"So…you're…a reaper?" Max asked, ignoring Sam and Dean's worried and confused looks.

"In a way," Lauren admitted. "Max…this is what you have to look forward to in the future. Except it will be a lot worse."

"Maybe the others were close to losing control," Max said, slowly getting to her feet. "I'm not…I can control it."

"Max…you just had to tell your friends to think in silence," Lauren pointed out.

Max rolled her eyes, "I have the flu, I just woke up from a nightmare, into a bad reality, and I'm pretty sure I'm getting another bad fever…gee, I wonder why I can't build up the mental shields!"

"Everyone has a trigger, Max," Lauren pointed out.

Max turned to Sam; "You guys salted and doused the bones in lighter fluid, right?"

"Yeah," Sam nodded.

"Good," Max said, pulling a matchbox out of her pocket. "A trigger, you say."

"Max…you can't…think about this," Lauren said, as Max lit a match. "Please…do everyone a favor…"

"Oh, I am," Max smiled, and threw the match onto the bones, "Burn, baby, burn."

Lauren looked from Max to her burning remains, "Guess you didn't want to end up like your mother, huh?" Then she was gone.

Max gave a chuckle, then did a small spin, as she lost consciousness.

Dean caught her before she hit the ground; "Did you see…?"

"She was visible before she was destroyed," Sam nodded.

"What do you think she meant?" Dean asked.

"No clue," Sam shook his head.


	11. Chapter 11

When Max woke, she found she was immobile. She cracked an eye open and relaxed when she found Dean was hanging onto her. "Thank god…for a second I thought I was having the psychotic-episode nightmare."

Dean jumped, not realizing she'd woken up. He looked down at her and quirked an eyebrow, "Psychotic-episode?"

"Strapped to a bed after apparently having a psychotic episode," Max shrugged, "Pretty much self-explanatory."

Dean shook his head, "How're you feeling?"

She frowned thoughtfully, "I feel like I have the flu."

Dean smiled, "Good…'cause I think you do."

"There you go," Max grinned. "I don't know why I'm grinning…I feel like falling apart into a million pieces."

"How's your head?" Dean then asked.

"Better…I'm not hearing what you're thinking…and I prefer to keep it that way," Max replied. "In all honesty, I probably could be like Monica…read people's thoughts…control them…" She sighed, "But that's an area of freakiness that I'd rather not dive into."

"Good, you had me worried there for a second," Dean said.

"Hey, I can already read thoughts at will," Max reminded him. "I just choose not to…if you can't tell me what you're thinking, then I don't need to know it, right?"

"Yeah, probably," Dean agreed.

Max squirmed in his embrace, trying to get comfortable. "I never had this with Dylan…that's why it's different."

"What's Dylan got to do with this?" Dean frowned.

"Lauren…dug up some ancient history," Max admitted. "Dylan and Clarissa, you and Cassie."

Dean sighed, and went to move out of the bed. But Max wrapped her arms around him, making him stay where he was.

"It was one of her things," Max explained, knowing Dean wouldn't want to hear it, but she had to explain it, to get it off her chest. "Both of you broke my trust…yet I forgave you, but not Dylan."

"I think Dylan did a lot worse than what I did," Dean pointed out.

"True, a fact that I brought up," Max agreed. "Besides, I told her I loved you too much to cut you out of my life."

Dean raised his eyebrows at that, "You _loved_ me too much?"

Max's eyes widened when she realized what she'd said, "Yeah…that's what I told her…and the feeling hadn't changed."

Dean seemed to relax when she said this, and gave a small sigh of relief.

"What?" Max asked, her cheeks going red.

"I love you too," He said, grinning. He then pulled her closer, and kissed her.

Max returned it, but pulled away quickly, "Wait…we can't do this…"

Dean frowned, "Why not?"

"I have the freakin' flu, dipstick," Max snapped playfully. "I might be contagious!"

"Eh, who cares?" Dean asked, then pulled her close again.

Sam opened the door at that time, carrying a box of doughnuts, two oranges, and three cardboard cups. He sighed when he saw them, "Don't mind me…"

"Hey, this is as far as I'm going," Max said, turning her head toward him.

"Are you sure," Sam asked sarcastically, "'Cause I can come back later…"

"Aw, sit down and shut up," Max and Dean answered simultaneously.

* * *

"We have now reached the Denver city-limits," Sam announced, glancing into the backseat.

Max gave him a tired nod, then glanced at Dean, who was using her shoulder as a pillow.

"Aren't you gonna wake him up?" Sam asked.

Max shrugged slightly, still not waking Dean, "I would…but I think he's kinda cute when he's sleeping…"

"Whatever you say, Max," Sam shook his head.

"I'll wake him if he starts drooling on my shoulder," Max said, shaking her head.

The Impala went over a rather large bump in the road, and it jerked Dean out of his slumber.

"And there goes the solitude of the car ride," Max sighed.

It was quiet for a few minutes.

"Okay…Max…" Dean spoke up. "You had us wondering for a while, why were you having déjà vu?"

"Oh…that…" Max frowned.

"Yeah, what was that about?" Sam asked, glancing at her in the rearview mirror.

"Well…" Max squirmed. "Luke tried to convince me not to go on this trip…he had a bad feeling that I wouldn't come back, right?"

"Which you fought tooth and nail to make sure he was wrong," Dean pointed out.

Max gave a nod of agreement, "Well…my mother…er…Rosemary…you know they died in a plane crash."

"Yeah," Both answered.

"Well…I too…had a bad feeling," Max admitted. "Got into an argument about it…begged them not to get on the plane…they told me they had to, it was important…" She sighed, "Plane crashed…they never came home."

Dean wrapped an arm around her shoulders, but said nothing. There really wasn't anything he could say to her.

"When it clicked…I had to make damn sure I came home…I didn't want Luke carryin' that around for the rest of his life," Max said quietly.

A loud silence filled the Impala, as Sam drove the familiar streets to what the three of them called home.

* * *

"Two Kings, two jokers, six, seven, eight, nine, ten of hearts, two aces, and two jacks," Luke said, laying down his cards.

Charlie sighed, and pushed the small bowl over to him, dumping the fifteen cents into Luke's pile of nickels.

"Well, the score stands as thus," Noah sighed, "Me, 46, Charlie, 62, and Luke with a whopping…25." He counted out twenty-five cents from his pile, and tossed it at Luke, "There, be happy."

"Come on, Charlie, pay up," Luke said, holding out his hand.

"I owe you twenty-five cents," Charlie scowled.

"You've gotta be kidding me that out of all your money you can't spare your baby brother a measly quarter?" A voice asked from the doorway.

"Max!" Luke smiled.

"No, Sophia Petrillo, I had some plastic surgery done," Max said, rolling her eyes, "Christmas Eve…damn, I missed the card game."

"Well, since Charlie can't spare a quarter," Luke said, smirking at his brother, "I think we can play another game."

"Only if someone else shuffles the cards on Luke's turn," Noah said, as Max sat down at the table.

"Why?" Max asked, taking the cards and shuffling them.

Four clinks sounded as nickels were tossed into the bowl.

"Because when Luke shuffles, it's a coin-toss on whether he'll end up playing fifty-two card pick-up," Charlie said, as Max dealt the cards. "Six's are wild, right?"

"Think so," Max said, organizing her cards.

"Damn," Charlie sighed.

Everyone drew a card on their turn, and put either that card, or one of their own into the discard pile. Then it was Max's turn. She shook her head in disbelief, and drew a card, "Sorry boys, the Master is back."

She laid out her cards, ten, Jack, Queen, King of hearts, and two jokers.

Her brothers let out groans, and basically tossed their cards away, not bothering to count.

"I still owe you a quarter," Charlie said, getting up from the table.

"But we were gonna play…" Luke whined.

"Luke…I'm tired anyway," Max said, yawning. She sniffled, "I've still got that flu…I think I'm just gonna turn in…"

"Right…good night Max," Luke said, as she got to her feet.

"Good night Luke," Max smiled tiredly. She checked her watch, seeing it read, 12:02. "And Luke?"

Luke paused at the door, "Yeah?"

"Merry Christmas."


	12. Chapter 12

"That is one weird lookin' bottle."

Dean and Sam were sitting at the bar in Max's apartment, Sam had the laptop out trying to do some research for a new hunt. But both found themselves staring at the odd bottle Luke had given Max for Christmas.

It was made of dark blue plaster, with a yellow and orange sun carved into the front. To the left of it was a light blue moon, and the right was a smaller yellow star. Random little white clouds and stars finished off the piece.

"It's starin' back at you," Sam said, glancing at his brother.

"It's an incense burner," Max said, rolling her eyes. She turned it around; revealing a small section had been cut away at the bottom. She opened a plastic bag and stuck a piece of cone-shaped incense into the small container inside. She grabbed a lighter, and lit the cone on fire, making it smoke.

"And what, pray tell, is it supposed to smell like?" Dean rolled his eyes.

Max shrugged, "I dunno…the package said dragon's blood."

She then headed for the living room, stopping at the sofa, climbing over the back, and sitting next to Luke. "Are you happy?" She smirked, "I was home for Christmas_ and _New Year's."

"Yeah, yeah," Luke rolled his eyes.

"And look, I'm not dead!" Max added, smiling.

Luke smiled as well, "Well, that's good I guess."

Max shook her head, and ruffled his hair, "Better be…I'm not goin' anywhere anytime soon."

"Hunting wise, or living wise?" Dean asked, still seated at the bar.

"What do you think?" Max asked, throwing a pillow at him. She threw it with enough force to hit him in the head.

"Point, Max," Noah smiled as well. He glanced at the TV, then announced, "Dudes! Dropping ball! Dropping ball!"

Dean and Sam exchanged glances, and walked over, standing behind the couch, as the chorus of voices on the screen counted down to one.

When the cheers started, and the confetti flew, Max stood up on the cushions and kissed Dean, making her brothers scowl and turn towards the television.

"Dude…we need girls," Noah grumbled.

"Why?" Luke asked.

"So we can do that," Noah said, as if it were obvious. "Or…we can do what Charlie's—"

"Noah!" Max snapped, breaking away from Dean. "What Charlie does with his girlfriend is none of your business."

"Oh, come on," Noah rolled his eyes, "You know that's what he's doing!"

"That is why it's none of your business," Max said. Then she turned and kissed Sam on the cheek, "There, both of you get a New Year's kiss."

"Maybe next year, Noah," Luke pointed out, shaking his head. He got off the couch, and headed for the door.

"What do you mean, _maybe_?" Noah demanded, getting up and following him. "That had better change to _definitely!_ 'Cause I can get any girl I want!"

"Yeah right," Luke rolled his eyes, "When was the last time a girl even talked to you?"

Noah stopped when he reached Luke, and he frowned, deep in thought. Luke shook his head, and continued walking. Noah followed, "I'm thinking! I'm thinking!"

"Well, I don't think you'll have to worry about them for a few years," Sam said, shaking his head. "Guess I'll take my leave too…see yah in the…" He paused, knowing what the response would be, then shook his head, "See yah later."

The door closed, and it was silent for a few minutes.

"Tired?" Dean asked, grinning mischievously.

"Not really," Max answered, grinning right back. She wrapped her arms around Dean's neck, then bounced off the sofa, and wrapped her legs around his waist. She kissed him again, and after a minute, Dean tried to speak.

"I can't see…" He said in a muffled voice.

Max broke the kiss, "What? You don't know the way by now?"

Dean only smirked, and carried her up the stairs.

* * *

Luke was lying in bed, twiddling his thumbs, a flashlight resting next to him. Moonlight shone through the floor-to-ceiling windows, which went along the wall, first floor and second. _Which is redundant…_he thought.

The door opened, and Luke sat up, turned on the flashlight, aiming at Charlie, and whispered, "Busted!"

"Dude…what're you doin' up?" Charlie hissed, locking the door behind him. "And turn that light off."

Luke smirked as he turned off the flashlight, and put it back in his nightstand drawer. Then he looked at the clock, "It's three a.m.…and you're just getting in?"

"I asked you first," Charlie answered.

It was silent for a few minutes.

"Awkward…" Luke murmured, then yawned.

"You're dead tired, aren't you?" Charlie smiled.

Luke just nodded, yawning again.

Charlie shook his head; "I was with Mia."

"I was right…" Luke smiled drunkenly, then flopped backward onto his bed.

Charlie shook his head again, and looked at his brother for a few seconds. "Cut your hair, bro, you're startin' to look like Sam with braces," He muttered.

"Still prefer Ron Weasley," Luke said tiredly, not looking at him.

Charlie rolled his eyes, and got ready for bed. His head hit the pillow, and he closed his eyes.

"Hey…Charlie…?" Luke yawned again.

"What?" Charlie asked, looking at Luke.

In the dim light, he saw Luke moving around, reaching for something. Then his little brother threw a handful of confetti into the air. "Happy New Year…"

* * *

_"Dean!" Sam screamed. _

_Blood flowed in rivulets Dean's chest, and dribbled out of his mouth as he cried, "Don't you let it kill me!" _

_Sam had a gun, aiming at something in front of him. _

_"You kill me, you kill Daddy."_

_"I know…" He pulled the trigger. _

_The scene changed, they were in the Impala now. _

_"Where do we go from here?" Max asked tiredly. _

_"We'll just have to start over," Sam answered. "We've still got the colt, we've still got the one bullet left—"_

_The passenger side windows shattered as something rammed the Impala…_

Luke shot up in his bed, breathing heavily as sounds of screeching metal echoed in his ears. He was drenched in sweat, and shivering from head to toe.

"A nightmare…" He whispered, catching his breath. He rolled over, and covered his head with his pillow, trying to get comfortable again. "Just…a nightmare…"


End file.
